Written Question
Wednesday 30th March 2016
Asked by:
Matthew Pennycook (Labour - Greenwich and Woolwich)
Question
to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, if he will take steps to permit the European External Action Service to press for the release of Andargachew Tsege in Ethiopia.
Answered by James Duddridge
Whilst we welcome the concern of all international partners on Mr Tsege’s case, the UK will continue to lead lobbying efforts.
The Foreign Secretary, my Rt Hon. Friend the Member for Runnymede and Weybridge (Mr Hammond) has raised Mr Tsege’s case with his Ethiopian counterpart Dr Tedros 21 times, most recently on 13 February. I have also raised this case, most recently on 28 January. I have met with Mt Tsege's' partner, Yumi Hailemariam. We have asked that Mr Tsege has access to a lawyer and a legal route through which he can challenge his detention. The Foreign Secretary has asked the Ethiopians to set out a timeline in which this will happen.
Written Question
Monday 18th January 2016
Asked by:
Matthew Pennycook (Labour - Greenwich and Woolwich)
Question
to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what representations his Department has made to the Indian government on re-opening border crossings to Nepal since discussions were held between the British and Indian ambassadors to Nepal on border blockages on 30 October.
Answered by Lord Swire
I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave on 9 November 2015 to question 15614 which can be located at: www.parliament.uk/writtenanswers. In addition to this answer, I discussed the blockage at the border with the Indian Foreign Secretary during the visit of Prime Minister Modi to the United Kingdom.
Speech in Commons Chamber - Mon 09 Nov 2015
Human Rights (Eritrea)
"I am pleased that time has been found to debate this important and, sadly, overlooked issue and I thank the Minister for coming to the House to respond at the end of what I know has been a long day.
Until recently, like most of my constituents and most fellow …..."Matthew Pennycook - View Speech
View all Matthew Pennycook (Lab - Greenwich and Woolwich) contributions to the debate on: Human Rights (Eritrea)
Speech in Commons Chamber - Mon 09 Nov 2015
Human Rights (Eritrea)
"The hon. Gentleman makes a good point. The methodology of the Danish Government’s report has been questioned. It remains the basis for the Danish Government’s guidance, but our Government should continue to review our own guidance to ensure that we are not refusing asylum to people who are genuinely being …..."Matthew Pennycook - View Speech
View all Matthew Pennycook (Lab - Greenwich and Woolwich) contributions to the debate on: Human Rights (Eritrea)
Speech in Commons Chamber - Mon 09 Nov 2015
Human Rights (Eritrea)
"I thank the hon. Gentleman for his intervention. I share his concern about the persecution of particular minority groups, including religious groups, and of countless individuals, whose names many of us could mention. Many of the Eritreans to whom I have spoken could name friends, journalists and others from minorities …..."Matthew Pennycook - View Speech
View all Matthew Pennycook (Lab - Greenwich and Woolwich) contributions to the debate on: Human Rights (Eritrea)
Speech in Commons Chamber - Mon 09 Nov 2015
Human Rights (Eritrea)
"I would certainly join the hon. Lady in asking for that. As she says, it is not just the family members who remain in Eritrea who are affected, but the communities that live here and that face fragmentation and abuse by these agents, much of which is online by anonymous …..."Matthew Pennycook - View Speech
View all Matthew Pennycook (Lab - Greenwich and Woolwich) contributions to the debate on: Human Rights (Eritrea)
Speech in Commons Chamber - Mon 09 Nov 2015
Human Rights (Eritrea)
"I want to press the Minister on how we can know, with a regime that has no financial accountability and does not let in international observers, that any development aid will be spent on health or economic outcomes, rather than on lining the pockets of party officials or the regime’s …..."Matthew Pennycook - View Speech
View all Matthew Pennycook (Lab - Greenwich and Woolwich) contributions to the debate on: Human Rights (Eritrea)
Speech in Commons Chamber - Mon 09 Nov 2015
Human Rights (Eritrea)
"There are documented instances of forced labour at more than one mine, with compulsory military conscription being used. It is not a process whereby an international mining company goes in there legitimately. These sites are the sites of some of the abuses that I have talked about...."Matthew Pennycook - View Speech
View all Matthew Pennycook (Lab - Greenwich and Woolwich) contributions to the debate on: Human Rights (Eritrea)
Written Question
Thursday 15th October 2015
Asked by:
Matthew Pennycook (Labour - Greenwich and Woolwich)
Question
to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what assessment he has made of the effectiveness of the Gaza Reconstruction Mechanism in enabling the construction and reconstruction of the Gaza Strip.
Answered by Tobias Ellwood
Through the Gaza Reconstruction Mechanism (GRM) over 95,000 people have now been able to buy materials to repair homes that were damaged during the conflict. However, we are concerned that none of the homes destroyed have been rebuilt yet. We therefore welcome the June 2015 agreement between the Israeli and the Palestinian authorities on the Residential Stream of the GRM to support the reconstruction of homes that were completely destroyed. DFID is providing £700,000 to the Materials Monitoring Unit which monitors the import, storage, supply and use of construction materials into Gaza under the GRM. The UK is also calling on all donors to disburse pledges made at the October 2014 Cairo Gaza Reconstruction Conference without delay.